China Posts Modest Rise in Consumer Prices in April

Data Give Beijing More Room to Roll Out Targeted Stimulus Measures

BEIJING—China recorded its mildest consumer inflation in a year and a half in April amid slower economic growth, prompting renewed calls for more aggressive measures to help boost the world's second-largest economy.

The consumer-price index rose 1.8% April from a year earlier, according to official data released on Friday, slightly below market expectations. The reading was lower than the 2.4% rise recorded in March and was well...